Climate change in Carmarthen

'So what?' you might think. Sheep and a river? But no, it's the colour change that startled me. We left Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford, Eire, at 6.45 am on Saturday, to board the ferry at Rosslare. In Eire the fields are green. As in really green. Wexford strawberries are for sale by the side of the road. Hay has been made and left out in balea, but still it's a green landscape. The temperature over the past  few days has been cooler, with a tendency towards rain. 

We got on board by about 8.30, and I found a seat on  deck 9, where I stayed put with a coffee and a book, only sallying forth when the book was finished. The ship was not rolling and it was easy to walk around. Went out on deck too.  Four hours later, we were in Pembroke, Wales..The temperature change was startling, even on an air conditioned coach, we could feel the heat. 

Stopped for lunch in Carmarthen. I've only been there with D before and never dared to leave him for too long, so I was surprised to find that the town was much bigger than I'd realised. As it was Saturday, a market was being held. I got some food and went back to the river bank, near the pedestrian bridge. The river Towy/Tawe levels are so low that there's green slime at the edges and it's a bit stinky. It wouldn't be the only river in trouble in the UK, unfortunately. 

I thought I heard a steam train whistle, but I couldn't see a steam train. Eventually I got back on the coach, and by the time I'd opened my chocolate rice crispie snack, half an hour later, the chocolate had melted! We crossed the Severn by the Prince of Wales bridge, aka the Second Severn Crossing, and soon found ourselves at Gordano services, near Bristol. 

After a pitstop, I boarded my minibus and we headed back to Bradley Stoke (outskirts of Bristol), Berkeley, Tetbury, and finally Stroud. Cotswold views dominated once we'd left the Severn vale and climbed to Dursley. The driver's Sat Nav was not to be trusted, so I guided him across Minchinhamoton  and Rodborough commons, where there cows were straggling all over the road, with calves too. What a  beautiful, bucolic way to end the drive home!

And yes, it is good to be back home. Even with Indie bringing us a live, squeaking mouse, which is now living or dying behind the back of the sofa.